Lawn care tasks are commonly performed using various tools and/or machines that are configured for the performance of corresponding specific tasks. Certain tasks, like grass cutting, are typically performed by lawn mowers. Lawn mowers themselves may have many different configurations to support the needs and budgets of consumers. Walk-behind lawn mowers are typically compact, have comparatively small engines, and are relatively inexpensive. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, riding lawn mowers, such as lawn tractors, can be quite large. Riding lawn mowers can sometimes also be configured with various functional accessories (e.g., trailers, tillers, and/or the like) in addition to grass cutting components. Riding lawn mowers provide the convenience of a riding vehicle as well as a typically larger cutting deck as compared to a walk-behind model.
By their very nature, lawn mowers of either type employ rotary cutting blades that must be housed for safety reasons. However, the housing of the mower blades within a cutting deck can also enhance the general mowing experience when it is designed to implement other useful functions like directing grass out of a discharge chute or into a bagging attachment. To facilitate airflow control within the housing, a number of strategies may be employed.
Cutting decks may generally be provided via stamped or fabricated construction. A stamped cutting deck is typically lighter and is formed using large molds and presses with thin gauge steel. Meanwhile, fabricated cutting decks are built from heavier plate steel and are formed via welding of various pieces together. Although fabricated cutting decks may have a reputation for being sturdier (by virtue of the heavier plate steel employed), fabricated cutting decks also have a reputation for providing poorer airflow than stamped cutting decks. Given the lighter construction of the stamped cutting deck, the stamped cutting deck is generally considered to be more flexible. Manufacturers are therefore believed to have more control over the design processes of stamped cutting decks to enable the manufacturers to better streamline airflow within stamped cutting decks. In light of the strong reputation that fabricated cutting decks already have for sturdiness, it may be desirable to improve the flow characteristics of such cutting decks to provide a cutting deck that is both sturdy and also has streamlined airflow characteristics.